Does anyone hold their stomach in? As I sit here I am tightening that lower stomach muscle. I try to sit like that for as long as possible. I do it while I am driving, laying on the couch and sometimes while walking. It's becoming a habit. I know because I have a stomach apron and all this fat that hasn't melted yet that realistically I am not sucking my stomach in, I am just focusing on that muscle for some reason. Just curious if anyone else does that.

BTW, back when I was in shape and exercising regularly - I had a FLAT stomach and I did this all the time. I don't know how close I can get to that because it was 14-15 years ago, but I am doing my best!

I don't..but I think I will start...it couldn't hurt...it will engage the core, and when you hold your stomach in you stand and sit straighter which is good posture and makes you look thinner...so I think it's a win-win all the way around!

Thanks for the idea!

I do lol but that's cuz I still have too much extra there and I hate the way it looks!

I've done this my WHOLE life at every weight..and I have no clue why! It's almost like my stomach is engaged at ALL times... it's so second nature now, that I don't realize I'm doing it...if I just let it all hang loose..it feels SOOO weird and wrong! lol

Ha! That would be a full-time job for me. So, no.

No, but I probably should.

Sounds exactly like me. My aunt and mother actually told me to do this starting at the age of 13-14... telling me I would look slimmer so now it's normal and involuntary. Letting my stomach out feels super weird.

I used to. I dont anymore. In fact I tried it a few times after reading your post and I find it uncomfortable and I can't hold it for long... so maybe I'll start trying again.

i do it all the time! especially when i'm walking, i find that it helps in my posture, which by default good posture means looking slimmer i have found out from years of playing tennis (i was the captain of my varsity high school team back when i was in shape), that sucking in my stomach actually works out my abs, like it feels like when i have it sucked in while playing or jogging/running, it feels like the equivalent of some crunches. it really does work out my abs!

Yep, my daddy told me when I was way younger to "Suck that gut in". Oh, it hurt my feelings sooo bad but at this age I could thank him for it because it is one good habit I have!!

I used to do it all the time. It became habit because I was self conscious and all that jazz. I stopped doing it eventually, but every now and then I'll do it again and I can still hold it and almost forget about it.

I think I heard one time that holding in your stomach muscles as tight as you can for 10 seconds, and then releasing them for 3 and repeating was the same as doing a crunch.

I do hold my stomach in a lot, I sure don't think anyone else notices because I still have my lovely apron and jelly rolls, but hey maybe someday they will all pay off

Yep ALWAYS when I am walking. When I sit I seem to relax and plooop ploooop plooop out it comes. LOL

LOL- glad to hear I am not the only one! I too feel like it works my abs.

YES, I do this all the time while on my PC and I am getting better at it; when I was slimmer I could do mega situps ... maybe again some day. I do chair crunches while waiting for things to come up too; I think every bit helps ...